Only Human
by skittyninja
Summary: When Finn gets older, he realizes just what being not only the last human, but being ONLY human, means for him. After the depressing realization, things begin to change in Ooo, and in Finn.
1. Only Human

**A/N: I've always loved Adventure Time, but the other day I read a lot about it's history and such, and found out about the nuclear war and 'the world's been destroyed' apocalypse thing. That really enabled me to see it in a more serious light; I just can't quite look at the show the same anymore. Which isn't really a bad thing, I suppose. And now that I see it in a serious way, I decided to write a story for it. Since I know now that other people see the show the same way, I don't have to worry about trying to be funny. Because, well..I'm not too good at that part. xD**

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my own ideas.

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><p>They walked through the dark forest in amiable silence; very close to one another, because the well-worn path was narrow. They didn't touch or brush up against each other, although neither one of them was certain if it was a coincidence, or if the other was making sure of it.<p>

They were surrounded by the sounds of owls hooting and little animals shuffling around, preparing for bedtime, snuggling in with their families. The moon peeked through the trees, giving just enough light to see by but not so much that the magic of the night was shattered. It was cool out, and the sky was filled with millions of glittery stars. There were a few clouds drifting around, but it seemed as if they almost purposely avoided blocking the moon. A gentle breeze blew around the two friends intermittently.

It was a nice night for a walk.

The breeze blew through the trees, whispering to the leaves and blowing Finn's short blonde hair into his eyes. His usual trademark items, the hat and backpack, were at home, with Jake. Jake, the best friend. Jake, who was sound asleep. Jake, who didn't know he was home alone. If he were to wake up, he would see Finn's things at the foot of the bed, and wonder. But Finn had left a note, just in case. He always did.

"_Walking with PB, left stuff here, back soon."_

His things would have made the walk feel more official, more like hero business. So, he left them. He was comfortable enough here to not need them.

The breeze returned, more forcefully, and he had to brush his hair back with his hands; she noticed. "Finn, why is it that you never wear your hat out here on these walks with me? I've never thought to ask before."

He smiled gently and looked up at her as the breeze stopped. Without it, the world seemed unnaturally quiet. "I'm comfortable here with you, Princess. And here in the woods, alone, no one else can see."

Where did THAT come from? He didn't know, but suddenly felt nervous. What he had said sounded so…so strange to him. Vulnerable. Scared. The fact that he blurted it out to her, without a thought, made him wonder if he perhaps felt for her more strongly than he originally thought.

She blinked in surprise and quickly looked away to hide her reaction to his words. She realized that, aside from Jake, she may be the only one to see him so emotionally exposed. It warmed her heart to realize how he trusted her, and she filled with happiness. Finally, someone she could be close to. A best friend, a little brother. Someone to protect, but who could protect her. Her closest friend.

She didn't know he loved her.

The breeze returned, causing the world to start moving again; it quickly grew stronger, blowing his hair into an adorable mess. It was then that the princess realized her own hair hadn't moved at all. It hung, pink, thick, and motionless. She snuck a glance at his, admiring the individual strands, the shine, the way it caught the light.

Then back to her own hair. A glob. No strands, no reflection, no movement. She let out a small, nearly inaudible sigh. And yet…

He noticed.

"Does it bother you?" He asked suddenly. "That your hair doesn't blow in the wind?"

He was perceptive, and she realized she didn't give him nearly enough credit. He was brighter than she would have said, and he was not a child anymore. Not like before. She put a hand on his shoulder gently, not seeing his face light up and a blush creep along his cheeks. "No longer," she replied. "It's a part of who and what I am. I accept it, because it makes me one of a kind."

And it was the truth; she didn't mind… usually. But at times like these, she did have moments of envy for his hair. She shook the feeling off and smiled at him, and began talking about their usual things. She didn't realize that he wasn't hearing a word she said.

One of a kind.

He understood that, for once, Princess Bubblegum didn't have a clue what she was talking about. Yes, she had bubblegum hair. But she was one of the many Candy People; there were hundreds more. None _exactly_ like her, but the same species, or whatever it was called. He didn't know; he didn't care about the right term. It wouldn't make it any better.

Just like Jake. Other magic dogs were out there – slightly different looking, but essentially the same. And Jake had his parents. Bubblegum had her subjects. Lady Rainicorn had family. Even Marceline and LSP did. And more than just family, they had others. Love them, hate them, or don't even know them – there were others.

Who did Finn have who was the same? Not Susan and her tribe – they were hybrids, like so many others. Not the evil little Penny, who looked so convincing, but wasn't human either. No one even came close…

The night suddenly seemed less calm, less joyful. Not even the company of Princess Bubblegum cheered him anymore. He forgot to be nervous, forgot to be shy, and didn't notice when his arm brushed against hers. His mind was elsewhere, and even his body didn't react. This time there was no blushing.

Even if it were possible, even if the princess returned his feelings, it wouldn't be the same. Even though he'd gotten older, and she stayed 18 (finally returned to her original self after 2 years of research and magic and science, after that awful incident with the Lich King), even if she felt the same, even if a miracle happened…

It wouldn't work. She could never understand him, because no one could. There were many types in the land of Ooo and everyone had someone like them. Except Finn.

Finn, who had no family. Finn, with no last name. Finn, the only human left in existence.

He was absorbed in his own depressed and lonely thoughts, and still didn't hear a word the princess was saying to him. He wished suddenly that the night would end and he could go be alone for awhile. A tear ran down one cheek, alone.

Princess Bubblegum laughed at some joke she had made, and she noticed nothing, and continued talking. She was different. A hybrid, but not unique. She was something special and fun and interesting, but that was normal for the inhabitants of Ooo.

And Finn…well, he was only human.

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><p><strong>AN: R&R, please and thanks :) Let me know about any errors, or if there's anyway you think I could improve of this. And yeah, it's a little dark and Finn is a little angsty. But in his situation, who wouldn't be?  
>(The way I see it, there was a war on Earth, everyone died but a few, the survivors mutated, and a looonnng time later, BAM! Adventure Time. And Finn's family managed to avoid mutation for all these years, making him the only full human.) <strong>

**If this gets good feedback, I'll probably continue it; I feel like it could make a good story instead of just a oneshot. And it's so rare that I WANT to continue a fic after one chapter, so I take it as a good sign. Let me know what you think!**

**-skittyninja**


	2. The Book Graveyard

**A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers, and boy am I sorry about the wait! Starting college kind of got in the way.**

**Hopefully this keeps up with what happened in the beginning; ex, has the same style, undertones, and feel to it. I think it may have gotten rather darker, but hopefully that's a plus. The Adventure Time series has come so far while this has been on hold; now it really is shaping up to be something special.**

**Jakecrusher, guess we got what we wanted from the series after all!**

**So, here's the next bit, enjoy, and tell me if I'm headed in the right direction.**

**Disclaimer: AT, not mine.**

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><p><span><strong>*****WARNING: THIS STORY RATING IS BEING UPPED TO 'M', DUE TO LANGUAGE AND DARK THEMES.*****<strong>

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><p>Princess Bubblegum laughed at some joke she had made, and she noticed nothing, and continued talking. She was different. A hybrid, but not unique. She was something special and fun and interesting, but that was normal for the inhabitants of Ooo.<p>

And Finn…well, he was only human.

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><p><strong>ONE MONTH LATER:<strong>

"-and to the Candy Kingdom children, as well as the Rainicorns. So you see, Jake, it's a very simple thing, and it isn't some illness that only humans, or so to speak, only Finn, suffer from. All young adults do; it's just the later stages of puberty, or growing up."

"Yeah, I guess…" Jake muttered, highly uncertain about Princess Bubblegum's little scientific speech about the inner workings of his best friend's mind. Psychology was far beyond him at most times, especially when stress and worry were in the way.

"Jake, I promise, it's just teen angst. Finn just turned sixteen, after all, and he's in that phase where he wants to rebel; he's almost an adult, but not quite."

"Rebel against who, though?" Jake replied sadly. "He's got no one to rebel against, not with our parents gone since he was eight. It's not like I'm a parent figure."

There was a long pause as Jake and Princess Bubblegum strolled slowly around the outskirts of her castle. When it began to grow, Jake realized that maybe the ever-cheery and brilliant princess could be wrong about this teen angst thing. He had rebelled, sure, but by being angry at the world and dating a Rainicorn on the sly. Not by sitting in his room and staring at walls.

Bubblegum sighed lightly before replying at last, "I don't know, Jake. But I know Finn, and he'll be fine."

Jake allowed himself to be, at least temporarily, mollified.

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><p><strong>TWO WEEKS LATER:<strong>

Finn wasn't fine. He hadn't been 'fine' since his last walk in the woods with the princess, when he realized the enormity of his situation. _'Hell,'_ Finn thought angrily, using some of the crude Old World slang he had found on a scrap of paper he'd caught floating near his window, _'I haven't been 'fine', or anything close, since I was born.'_

"Finn? Jake has dinner ready," BMO said from around the corner.

"Thanks, man, but I'm good. Let him know I went out, okay?"

"Alright…" BMO replied as he backed away, fearing the listless quality Finn's voice had developed. Really, it had been this way for nearly two months, so he should be used to it.

Glob, BMO hoped he never got used to it.

"He coming?" Jake asked hopefully.

"No," BMO said, unable to look him in the eye. "He is going for a walk. Again."

They ate dinner alone. Again.

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><p><strong>ANOTHER MONTH LATER:<strong>

Finn roughly and impatiently shoved the strand of honey blond hair behind his left ear, unreasonably pissed off at himself that he hadn't bothered to cut it the moment he looked in a mirror and saw it getting longer.

"I'd be better off shaving the fucking shit off completely," he muttered under his breath. He then glanced up anxiously to ensure he was still alone; it would not do to have any of the citizens of Ooo hearing him trying out another new Old Word. The odds of them knowing what it meant were low, but there was still a chance that someone else had found that old overgrown building Finn thought of as the Book Graveyard.

Finn had found it weeks ago, and it was there he realized where the scrap of paper bearing "Hell" came from. In context, he realized it was meant to be a mean word, a cruel word, a hurting word. He loved that word, and others he found; saying them, even alone in his head, helped him to release some of his anger safely. The battered book, reading

" T

by

S EP EN NG"

was mostly in tatters, but had a lot of other 'mean' words he could learn, with enough context left to guess what they might mean. However, he did wish the book was intact so that he could read it, or at least get the proper name and author. No matter; fiction wouldn't help him now.

He sighed and shook his head roughly to clear his mind before going back to the book he had been obsessing over for five hours. His hair fell back into his face. He didn't notice.

The diary entry was dated March 23rd; there was no year. The latest entry read as such:

'_Marcy gave me an interesting bit of information today; she says she used to be 'human'. What exactly that is, I'm not sure. All of my prior research on it has yielded nothing. Oh, how I long to finally step up and take the title of Princess of the Candy Kingdom so that I have better resources at my hands! But I digress._

_From what I have learned thus far, Marcy looked like any other child in existence before the Great Mushroom War. I had always been under the impression that she was born a vampire, or demon of some sort, come forth from the Nightosphere to wreak havoc with her father when Ooo was just forming. According to her, she did some snooping and saw the old pictures of herself and her ACTUAL family. She was 'human', whatever that may be, with human parents, and she was taken from her guardian at night and bitten. Of this man, Simon, I know nothing. Marcy will not elaborate._

_When I spoke up in anger about the demon who destroyed her, Marcy surprisingly defended him. She believes that, as misguided as he was, it did it out of affection. Whatever 'human' was, Simon and Marcy appeared to be the last ones, and after the war, they weren't doing so well. Whatever a human is, I hope I never know. I just feel so bad for them – so weak, so slow, so easily killed! No wonder they were wiped out. Marcy's father changed her, as I said; apparently, he had been watching her for some time and found her likeable._

_Oh, this is all too much! Will I ever unravel the secrets of Ooo and the world that came before?_

_-Bonnie'_

Finn sighed again, louder this time. The more he read, the less he understood. Bonnie obviously was Princess Bubblegum as a child, and he figured out after the first few passages that the Marcy spoken of was Marceline, the Vampire Queen, and his close friend. But now there was a Simon thrown into the mix, and young Bubblegum became ever more confused in her diary. He gave up for the day, tossing it aside in a fit of anger before slowly getting up to reverently stick it back in its hiding place.

He didn't know how or why some of Bubblegum's old diaries had ended up in the Book Graveyard, and he didn't intend to ask her, lest she ask him to return them to her. They had proved thus far to be a wealth of knowledge, albeit sometimes majorly over his head. He sat back to digest what he had found out.

"Marceline… human? Human, with another with her, and around well before Ooo was established? Her, of all people, here since before the Mushroom War? …I need to see her."

He ran off, never noticing the shadow that accompanied him to the edge of the ruins.

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><p>'<em>The acoustics must be better up there or something,'<em> Finn thought as he slipped in through Marceline's window, only to see her floating along the ceiling, eyes closed, singling softly.

"Daaaddddy, why did you eat my-"

"Ahem."

"Oh, hey Finn. Sup?" Marceline said as she floated down from the ceiling, carefully setting her axe on the couch. She had heard rumors from Bonnibel that Finn had been acting weird, and she was glad to see he had come to visit her. A moment away from that bright pink irritation would do him well, she figured, as the likely reason for his withdrawn, touchy mood as of late was his massive crush on her.

Finn was staring at the young vampire as she thought, trying to imagine her being like him. He finally replied, "Well. I've been reading a lot lately, and-"

Marceline let out a short, teasing laugh. "You, read? Yeah, right. Come on and sit down, I'll get us something to drink. Hah, read…"

Finn glared malevolently and thought about using one of his choice new words on her, but remembered why he was here. Long past was the time when he could be intimidated by mean words of those senior to him.

"I know you were human, I know you lied to me for years, and you're going to tell me EVERYTHING about the world before the war...Marcy."

Marceline stopped dead in her tracks.

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><p>"I can't believe Bubblegum TOLD you that! Glob, we were friends. Sure it was ages ago, and sure, she hates me now, but GLOB, I TRUSTED HER!"<p>

Two minutes after Finn's grim demand, he was seriously beginning to rethink his stance on not being afraid of those older than him. Or at least, to decide that he should fear any female whom he angered. After being blasted back, literally, by the force of her enraged and betrayed scream, Finn tried to keep his face smooth and unreadable. She was finally coming to a close on her rant, and he needed to get a word or two in in order to convince him she needed to tell him everything. But carefully, carefully. For some odd reason, he got the sense that no one should know what lie behind his odd behavior.

"Marceline-"

"-and of all the stupid things to blab, she picks THAT-"

"I came here to-"

"-CAN'T BELIEVE SHE WOULD-"

"MARCY, WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP?" Finn screamed finally, out of patience. He was surprised and pleased to hear that his voice lowered slightly in his rage. Marceline cut off mid-rant and stared at him in awe.

"Finn, how did you even know that word?"

"It isn't important," he said harshly. "What is important is that I know you were human, I know you had a human friend, and I know you were born before the Mushroom War even started. And for your information, Bubblegum told me nothing. We barely even speak now. How I found out is MY business. What's important is you LYING to me for years."

Marceline could see the hurt beneath Finn's strange mask of rage, and immediately felt awful. Yes, she had lied. On orders, perhaps, but lied to a friend all the same. And despite all of the rumors she was hearing about Finn's strange new behavior, depression, and avoidance of old friends, she cared for him. Much though she hated to delve into her dark past, it was the only way to make things right.

"Sit down, Finn. It's time you and I had a talk."

"So, you mean to tell me that you, Bubblegum, and this Simon knew for YEARS, and no one ever bothered to tell me ANYTHING?" Finn could feel his rage slowly building again as he overcame his shock.

"Well, kinda, yeah…" Marceline had been growing more and more uneasy with Finn's behavior throughout the entire strange meeting. "I mean, I did, and Bonnie did. But Simon..well, he's been gone for a long time, Finn. He tried, in the end, to help me. But that's what destroyed him."

Finn realized, deep inside, he should feel guilty for bringing up Marceline's painful past. Strangely, he understood this, knew that that reaction was a core part of who he was, but he couldn't manage to feel it. Disturbed, he forced himself to look as ashamed and as guilty at his insensitive outburst as he could.

"Glob, Marceline, I'm sorry. I didn't realize.."

"No, no, it's fine. I mean, you had no way to guess. It was a long time ago.." Marceline ceased looking so haunted, although Finn didn't feel any better about it as he hadn't felt guilty to begin with. All he could manage inside, seated next to his depression and rage, was a dim feeling that Marceline was way less scary and way easier to fool than the old him could have ever imagined.

'_Stupid bitch.' _Finn's eyes widened ever so slightly, unnoticed by the teen vampire as she went on remembering whatever was hurting her. Finn quickly reconstructed his mask of concern, while wondering where on Ooo his errant, dark thought about one of his best friends had come from.

"You okay, Finn? You look a little.. I dunno." Marceline was starting to get too concerned and curious for Finn's taste.

"Yeah…" He coughed a little. "It's just a lot to take in."

"Tell me about it.. I'll get some snacks and stuff. I bet you want to know more, or maybe there's something you wanted to talk about. I'll be back in a few. Water or tea?"

"Water is fine."

"….But you love tea," Marceline said, surprised. "Well, as something to pour your sugar in, anyway."

"I'm good. Water just sounds…good.."

"Okay," Marceline replied as she floated off, concerned and debating ever telling anyone about this. She would wait and judge it on how the next half of their conversation went.

Thankful for the silence and alone time, Finn reflected on what had learned.

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><p><em><span><strong>FLASHBACK<strong>_

'_I was seven years old, and I lived in this place called Manhattan. It was huge, bigger than the Ice Kingdom and Candy Kingdom put together. There were always so many people, all the time. There were cars, something people used to travel, and they were loud, too. The noise bugged my mom sometimes, but I loved it. As long as it was there, it meant there was always someone awake, all the time, watching the city. It made me feel safe._

_One day, my parents and little brother and I were at a park; I don't remember which one, but I guess it doesn't matter anyway. It was a smaller one, though. I think it was someone's birthday. All of a sudden, we heard this really loud, high-pitched noise. My brother started to cry and my parents panicked. They knew what the noise was: sirens to warn the city. They tossed us into our car, and started to drive away toward some big building with a place underground in it to park the car. We went down as deep as we could._

_I don't know how long we were in there, but I don't think it was too long, because my mom had just started to change my brother's diaper. Glob, he stunk badly. I remember…I remember thinking I wished he would just leave, because he cried loud and smelled and my parents always played with him now. Finn, I…I remember hating him then because I was just as scared, but too old to cry, and my parents were ignoring me to hug him instead. They both got out of the car to change him, and I stayed inside because I was just SO angry. That's when the first bomb fell near enough for us to feel._

_Everyone screamed, I think, except for me. I was too scared. Then the few lights down there flickered off and on again, and I saw… I saw bad things Finn, and I promise they aren't important, to you anyway, so I'll just leave them out._

_The floors above us collapsed and I heard more people scream. My brother was finally quiet, just sitting there next to what was left of my mom-…he was just sitting there..staring at me._

_And then my dad crawled over to the car and started to bang on the window really hard; I think he thought I was stuck inside it or something. The screaming got closer, and that's when the ceiling went, my dad with it._

_Then all I remember is fire. More than the whole Fire Kingdom, and everywhere. I don't know how it didn't burn or kill me. After that, I don't remember much, but then I was above ground, and everything was gone. It was gone, all gone, everything gone, oh GLOB, IT WAS ALL BURNED! I started walking, and I heard one more scream from downstairs. It was a little one._

_I kept going, looking for someone to help me. But hardly any houses were left, and there were melted cars everywhere. I got into a house that was still up, and I tried their TV and radio and computer…that is..er, that was, a special TV that let you learn stuff..but it was all black and staticky and dead._

_I don't really know how long I walked after that, just that sometimes I would think I was in a whole new Kingdom..I mean, country…when I would see something else that I knew belonged in Manhattan. That was the worst; that was when I would just sit down and cry._

_I had never heard anything so quiet before…I said at the start, I liked all of the noise from the city. It meant someone else was always there. Now, it was always quiet. I felt so alone, Finn. All I wanted was to find someone, something, a cat or pigeon, or even a stupid snail…I wish I had never wished for that._

_Soon, things started coming out at night. I ran up to them at first, thinking they were people But they weren't people, Finn. I don't know what they were; I guess most of Ooo descended from them, but they were nothing like the people here. They were like the Lich, Finn. They drank from the pools of ooze, and they ate..ate the people who didn't make it out of the city. Once, I saw them chewing each other._

_Finally, I went to sleep in the only old building left standing on my old street; it wasn't my house, nor did it belong to anyone I knew._

_That night, one of..them..came in. Glob, I was so scared, Finn. I didn't know what to do or how to get away..The houses there only had one door in and out, and that thing was there. I thought I could jump, but I was on the ninth floor._

_Then, he burst through the window. Simon. He could fly, and do things…well, I guess that's what I thought at the time, anyway, because I was so young. But he saved me from that vile thing, and he was my best friend ever since. He was a little younger than my dad had been._

_Simon was my world from then on. He was my everything, and I was his. We thought we were the only normal two left. But he wasn't normal, Finn. Not inside. He kept me safe, but he started to get sick, really sick, in his head. I couldn't help him, and when I was ten, I lost him forever._

_After that, my 'father' changed me. And I'm really sorry, Finn, but after that, I spent a lot of time in the Nightosphere, and everything from there until a few decades ago is just red and angry and… Alone."_

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><p><strong>AN: Alright, first off, let me say, I LOVE that AT has added in the Simon and Marcy plotlines, and Marcy's story absolutely breaks my heart. It is, without a **shadow** of a doubt, the most touching thing I've seen in a 'cartoon'.**

**There will be more to come with Marcy, and maybe Simon as well; like the first chapter, I have no idea what I'm doing, and no plot at all. I just sit and start to type. So if there are mistakes, questions, or suggestions, please review and let me know - I'd be grateful for the help!**

**Since I'm really not sure where this is all coming from, if anyone wants to give me their interpretation of the chapter instead of (or with!) suggestions, I'd love it. Thanks for sticking with me throughout my admittedly ridiculous absence since July of two years prior. 3**

**~skittyninja**


	3. Shadow of a Doubt

**A/N: Here we go again... This one was actually pretty hard to write! I'm worried that it's becoming directionless; that force compelling me to sit down and spew out words has left. :( Please be honest and let me know if this is a bunch of bullcrap rambling..**

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><p>"Here's your water, nerd."<p>

"Thanks, Marceline," Finn said listlessly.

Marceline paused mid-air at the sound of Finn's voice, thinking deeply about how weird he was being. From what she had heard from Jake, this was now the norm; Bubblegum had later confirmed it. 'Well, I should at least meet with both of them later… maybe we can figure it out.'

Out loud, she just said, "Whatever."

There were a few beats of silence before Finn sat his glass down, untouched, and stood up to leave. Marceline didn't try to stop him, because it looked like he was thinking hard and he didn't even acknowledge her. He just left, leaving the door to swing in the breeze. She got up to close it, but waited for a moment to stare at Finn's retreating form.

Finn ambled along the dark, dusty road slowly. He had a vague feeling that it was rather close to sundown, and that Jake and BMO would have expected him home long ago, but he didn't care. He was taking in all that he had learned and analyzing it; he wasn't able to put his finger on just what had unsettled him the most. When he left Marceline's, he didn't have a destination in mind; however, he wasn't too surprised to look up later and see that he was standing at the edge of the Book Graveyard.

He made his way to the back corner and picked up one of Bubblegum's diaries; he began to read.

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><p>'<em>May 14<em>_th_

_My investigation has come to a startling dead end – I cannot dig any deeper. With all of the resources I have at hand, there is still NOTHING to be found about the details of the mutations we have all suffered. Much time has passed since the Great Mushroom Wars, and despite all attempts at preservation, much has been lost. From what Marcy told me in the past, I may never find what I am looking for._

_What caused us all to be something once thought by our ancestors to be mythical? How did we go from plain, safe, shades of brown humans with no special abilities to mad, raving monsters that nearly killed my friend and her guardian? And how did those monsters evolve and become the (mostly!) civilized citizens I now rule over? Why, why did no one think to govern the early years and keep record?_

_I cannot explain why, but I feel as though my inability to get results may later prove my biggest mistake and cause harm for generations to come. There is a feeling of dread growing within me, an ominous rain cloud hovering above my peace of mind. I feel as though I'm failing some future generation._

_The War brought the magic back into the world, and we evolved. Surely, this must be a good thing? The humans were warmongers; the killed, lied, betrayed, and hated. They refused to believe in what they couldn't see and shunned what they proved to be too stubborn to attempt. That said, it may be best (and many tell me they think it so!) to just give up on my 'pointless' venture into the past. What, then, is holding me back? What is this feeling I have growing inside me that tells me "You'll always regret this failure"? _

_The butler is bringing in more ancient tomes – I must continue my search._

_Bonnie'_

That cleared up a little, but not as much as Finn was hoping. If anything, reading the entry had made him feel worse than hearing Marceline's dreary tale. It was apparent to him now that Princess Bubblegum had been searching for the cause of the worldwide genetic mutation for some time, but was nowhere near close. She had listed humans as evil, dangerous things bent on destruction… Was that how she saw Finn? He didn't know.

'_The real question is, why did she never tell me any of this? When did she write it? The first entries sound like she was very little, not even Princess yet, and now it sounds as though she is older. No, she definitely knew me by the time she started this research. She's been lying this whole time!'_ Finn figured he should feel angry, and he did. But overpowering that was a sense of pain and loss. The one person, outside of Jake, that he trusted more than anything in Ooo had betrayed him, lied to him, and may in fact think him a cold-blooded murderer like the rest of his kind.

In his pain, he didn't notice a shadow flick past him in the background. He slowly removed his hat, backpack, and shirt before standing and walking over to the cracked remains of an old mirror. This was a check he had done many times before, when he was alone.

'_Hair? Feels like… hair._

_Skin? Normal._

_Neck? No gills in sight._

_Feet, hands? No webbing…_

_Eyes? Blue, shiny, but not capable of seeing in the dark._

_Stretching ability? Nearly zero._

_Tongue? Attached, pink, soft._

_Teeth? Clean, boring, normal. No fangs._

_Still seemingly only human.'_

He remembered, dimly, a time when his parents (well… Jake's parents..) had done the same check on him as a child. He remembered the first day he was old enough to ask why, the first day he was old enough to ask why Jake and Jerome weren't examined, the first day he asked them to stop checking, and the first day he hid in his room and checked for himself. He sighed painfully, thinking that if it weren't for old books and magazines, his parents wouldn't have even known what he was. He remembered a lot more than anyone thought he did, because he had always felt just slightly wrong about what he was.

He wasn't a scientific miracle, a hero, a survivor of the Mushroom War and the ensuing mutation. He wasn't special for being the last human. He was weird, a freak, talentless, dull. He was ONLY human.

He slid to the ground and reached for another diary.

* * *

><p>"Look, Marceline, I see why you would feel upset, but the fact is, Finn is completely fine," Bubblegum insisted. "He's older, he's in a weird time in life. He's just experiencing some teen angst."<p>

"I dunno," Jake muttered to BMO under his breath. "Been a pretty long stretch of angst if you ask me."

"Finn is sixteen, Jake. He is having very much confusion about how he is. Trust the Princess," BMO replied, calmly.

"I guess…" Jake grumbled uncomfortably, before tuning back in to the ongoing argument.

"I KNOW what I saw, Bonnibel!" Marceline was raging. "He's not frickin angsty, he's depressed and mean and weird!"

"Well, what did you expect, after you told him that story?! That's enough to depress anyone! He's probably even more freaked out now, thinking about the War. No one should have to remember that! Not to mention he's probably embarrassed now to be around you since he feels all bad about what happened to you! Honestly, I don't know why you decided to invite him over and talk about that."

Marceline had come over to the Candy Kingdom with the intent to tell the three of them everything, including Finn's mention of her nickname and the diary. However, she felt something holding her back at the last second and she had just decided to tell them that she invited Finn over and told him all about it with no prodding. She was wondering now if she had made the right choice.

"Look, Bubblegum, I've had enough accusations-"

"What, because you know I'M RIGHT?"

"You're being dumb! You have the evidence right in front of you, an-"

"Of all the ridiculous- You have no proof that anything's wrong with him! We'll all make an effort to cheer him up, okay? But just because you feel guilty about telling him and trying to use him to relive your human years is no excu-" Bubblegum cut off immediately at the look on Marceline's face, knowing she had just gone too far.

"'Relive my human years'?" Marceline asked, deceptively quiet and calm. "Oh yes, that's exactly why I did it, Bonnie."

"I didn't- I mean…I just…" Bubblegum couldn't get the words out right in her haste to apologize. "I never meant to-"

"No, of COURSE not! Because that's how it always is, isn't it? Little miss fucking perfect Princess Bubblegum never means to HURT anyone in her quest to be right all the time. Glob, at least your ancestors had a good excuse. All the shit I heard from them, all of the insults and fights, at least THEY were trying to prove a scientific point for the good of others. All YOU want to prove is that you're some kind of saint and never wrong. Well, screw you, all of you. You KNOW something bad is happening here, but all three of you are just too comfortable with how things are.

You don't want to change; you don't want your pretty, perfect little worlds rocked. You're allowing yourselves to be blinded by your own asinine ideals. FINN. IS. IN. TROUBLE. I'm telling you now, you aren't fit to rule if you can't see the signs. All of you make me SICK."

Marceline flew up and headed towards the window, leaving a crying Bubblegum and a stunned BMO and Jake. She paused right at the edge and turned for one last comment.

"You know my story, the part where I heard crying from the garage? Wanna know what I found out later? That was my brother down there. He was still alive, and I left him, because I ignored the signs. If I had gone back, just for a second, he'd have lived. You'd better hope the signs you're so blatantly ignoring aren't as important. Since none of you give a damn about anyone but yourselves, I'm going to find Finn."

"Whoa, Marceline," Jake began, "we didn't mean to-"

"I can't even remember his name now," she said colorlessly, cutting Jake off. With that, she was gone.

* * *

><p>'<em>June 20<em>_th_

_The sun is just about to set, leaving a beautiful outline of the Candy Kingdom on the grass in shadow. It's been a good day, considering the time of year. The heat was high, but we convinced Simon to come down and cool us all off. It brought me great joy to see the little ones all outside of the castle, running around in the 'rain'; I didn't have the heart to tell them that it was supposed to be snowing for them but it was just too hot out._

_Today was one of Simon's better days, although no one knows that but Marcy and I. He was almost lucid at points; I could tell that it kind of broke Marcy's heart at times. He would be talking to us, all crazy and obsessed about his own kingdom, when suddenly a sick, shocked look would come upon his face. After that, he would just stare at Marceline and struggle for a moment. It always passed, and he seemed saner after each episode, but he never seemed to remember his past. I have to wonder – is it hurting Marcy more to see him struggle and try to remember her, or is it hurting her more in the moments when he's completely gone? I'll add saving him to my list, but I have more present demands._

_Despite the wonderful day, I still am greatly troubled at this point in my life. Even in the searing heat, surrounded by loving subjects and friends during a day of play…even under the marvelous, blinding sun floating lazily above Ooo… I was chilled to my core today. Right as the heat of the day peaked, I heard a cold, cruel voice whisper to me. _'_**Almost…too…late..Too late…TOO LATE!'**__ it said to me. I startled then, because I came to myself and heard screaming; it was just the children at play. But I heard the undertones of the world – I heard what it could be._

_Even now, as I write, I hear the cold voice calling to me on the wind._

_Almost too late._

_Bonnie'_

Finn stared at the last page where the writing had become somewhat shaky; he didn't remember any such day, and surely he and Jake would have been invited on a day that hot. He also couldn't recall a time when Marceline and Princess Bubblegum got along so well. And then, there was the elusive Simon again; who could that be? Finn had never met any such man in his travels. He sighed, shook his head to clear it, and stood. It was now well past dark and Jake would be near panic by now; Finn decided to head home. The shadows slanted oddly in the moonlight, reflecting the Book Graveyard in a twisted, otherworldly way. Had Finn looked back, he would have seen them attempt to stretch beyond the edges of the ruins. A small breeze blew away the wispy clouds above, causing the moonlight to become marginally brighter. The shadows fell back into the ruins at an abnormal speed, and there was a low, bestial growl.

* * *

><p><span><strong>TWO WEEKS LATER<strong>

"Sometimes you wanna go where ev'rybody knows your naaaaa—aaa—ame…" Jake sang quietly as he tried to convince himself that he wasn't freaking out. "And you're always glad you caaaa—aa—aaaame…"

"Jake, please, be quiet now!" BMO said, finally snapping. "You have been singing this for almost three whole hours!"

"Aw, I'm sorry, man," the normally chilled out dog replied. "I'm just all messed up in the head cuz of the whole Marceline thing, and the Finn thing."

"Jake," BMO said, exasperated, "if you are so worried, why don't you go out there and find Finn?"

"He's working through some stuff, BMO. I don't wanna mess with his guy biz."

"Ugh," BMO said softly as he walked out of the room.

Jake resumed humming the song, semi-wondering where he had heard it. He was attempting to cook a huge, fancy meal: hamburgers from MeatMan, fries, chips, and hotdogs. All of Finn's favorites; hopefully it would cheer him up…assuming he came home tonight. Jake had actually completed the meal hours ago and was now in the process of making more and more to distract himself. The floor was covered in layers and layers of hotdogs – BMO had had to wade through them like quicksand. Most nights now were generally the same way; Jake made an especially good dinner, chatted with BMO, made more dinner, and waited for Finn. He always wondered which night would be the one Finn wouldn't come home at all.

Was it tonight?

The door opened, nearly silent except for the breeze it let in. Jake turned around, grinning like mad, to see Finn trudge in, looking disheveled. He had dark circles under his eyes, his hands were dry, cracked and paper cut, and he was way too skinny… but he had still come home. Jake wasn't about to question his best buddy, for the fear that doing so would piss him off and make him leave for good.

"Finn, my man! Check it out – all your favorite dinner stuff! Like, everywhere, man! Come on, let's dig in! BMO isn't here, but whatever, he's missing out!"

Finn blinked, looking confused for a moment; he then managed a small smile that was nearly a grimace and didn't go anywhere near his eyes. "Sure, Jake. Just let me go get cleaned up." He flashed another weak smile and wandered off towards the bathroom. Just as he was leaving, BMO squeaked back in.

"Talk to him. You're making a huge mistake." The tiny, cute computer grabbed a hotdog, glared, and left.

Jake lost count of how long he waited, but figured it was well over half an hour. When Finn walked back in, looking exactly the same as when he had left, Jake knew that Marceline and BMO had been right.

"Look man, we need to talk," he said, fully expecting an argument. To his astonishment, Finn began to cry silently.

"You're right, Jake…"

And so they did.

"And so really, I have no clue what any of the diaries mean, and I'm tired and pissed and freaked out. Bubblegum might hate me, she lied to me, and I know that no matter what I do, I'm always, always, ALWAYS going to be alone," Finn finished with a sniffle.

"Daaaang," Jake managed to get out. "That's some intense man biz, man. You really gotta talk to people about this stuff; just ASK Bubblegum what her problem is, and-"

"No way! I can't tell her that, I read her diaries! I don't know why she left them lying around, but she'd hate me even more!" _'Do I even care if she does? ….I don't, not really. I think I might be over her.' _"You can't tell ANYONE, Jake. Please…"

"Well… Okay!" Jake said, trying to cheer Finn up. He was shocked that he had gotten Finn to open up at all, and wasn't going to push his luck. At least, not tonight.

"Thanks, man," Finn said, finally managing a real smile. He couldn't believe how much better he felt after having talked things out with his best friend. There was still a small shadow at the back of his mind, but he didn't feel so overloaded.

"I could go help you out, and crude," Jake told him. "With two people researching, we've gotta find something!"

"That's be awesome! Thanks, Jake!"

"No prob, Bob! Hahaha," Jake laughed, twisting around to make a weird upside-down face. He then yawned so hard that his face bent backwards and touched the floor. Well, the hotdogs covering the floor.

"Dang, it's late," Finn said, realizing just how tired he was, too. "Let's go to bed, man."

"Sure thing, bro. Wanna look tomorrow?"

Finn paused to consider it. He wasn't sure it'd be all that healthy to go right back to looking for answers about the past, even with his best friend beside him. As the night had proved, everyone needed a break. "Nah, man. I just wanna hang. It's hot out, maybe we could swim and stuff."

"Nice," Jake said, grinning through his yawn.

The two best friends and pseudo-brothers went upstairs together, finally feeling like they had reached a turn-around.

* * *

><p><span><strong>NEXT DAY<strong>

Finn was soaking wet, as was Jake. Both were at their favorite swimming hole; joining them was Lady Rainicorn, BMO, Marceline, Bubblegum, LSP, and Tree Trunks. It was unbelievably hot out for April, and there was absolutely no breeze. The group had journeyed into the forest in search of the water, and the trees offered at least some relief from the searing sun. Finn chased LSP around with a bucket full of water, trying to get her wet. She, meanwhile, floated away from him yelling "NO. WAY. Finn! My lumps can NOT get wet right now, I'm tanning! Aaaaah!"

Jake laughed and shared a look with Bubblegum; both were beyond overjoyed to see Finn playing around again. He still looked worn out and way too pale and skinny for his age, but they all felt that the worst of his situation was over. He was outside, running around, getting sun, and basically being a kid again. What more could they want?

Later on in the day, Jake started the cook out with help from Peppermint Butler, who had arrived with the meat from MeatMan. Everyone gathered around with sodas and waited in line to grab their lunch, laughing about how Finn had finally soaked LSP by hiding in a bush; LSP then blamed Jake and went after him with a ball of mud. It was a good day, although still unbelievably hot. Everyone was a little sweaty and red all over.

A cool breeze finally blew through the forest, leading everyone to cheer. Lunch gradually finished, over much talk and argument about what to play next. The breeze cooled a little more and grew stronger, leading Peppermint Butler to say he was glad he hadn't played like a 'ruffian' and gotten all wet and cold. An evil smirk crept onto Finn's face, and he and Marceline advanced toward the small, uptight candy and grabbed him from behind, dragging him to the swimming hole.

Everyone laughed hysterically, and the situation only escalated when BMO began chasing after them, recording it. For such a little man, PB could put up quite a fight; however, he proved to be no match for an ancient vampire and a young, energetic boy.

The breeze continued, and the princess of the Candy Kingdom paused, hanging back from the group – a water fight had begun, and she didn't notice as LSP came forward and dumped a huge pail of icy water onto her head. For on the breeze came a sound like dark laughter. Bubblegum shivered, not from the water, but from a sudden feeling that everything was about to collapse around her.

"Yo, PB!" Finn yelled to her. "You comin' with?"

She shook herself, thinking that she was being silly. "Yeah, Finn. I'm most definitely coming with." She smiled and took off after the group of her closest friends.

Underneath the sound of wind in the trees, a voice giggled insanely and said "Almost time, almost too late!"

Princess Bubblegum heard nothing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, there ya go! Something's up here and Bubblegum is clueless... can anyone guess what the big secret about the diaries is? I dropped some pretty broad hints...**

**thanks,**

**skittyninja**


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